U.S. patent number 4,628,841 [Application Number 06/658,807] was granted by the patent office on 1986-12-16 for single grain sowing machine.
Invention is credited to Hansherger Powilleit.
United States Patent |
4,628,841 |
Powilleit |
December 16, 1986 |
Single grain sowing machine
Abstract
In a single grain sowing machine, the seed grains (0) supplied
out of the seed container (1) are separated by means of a feeding
wheel (2). This feeding wheel (2) is covered up to a point where it
leaves the housing (8). There is also a sowing wheel (4) which
rolls on the ground and on the circumference of which there are
means which engage the seed grains (0) that are already separated
in the cells (7) of the feeding wheel (2) and transfer them out of
the cells into the path of movement and the circumferential speed
of the sowing wheel (4). The circumferentially measured spacing of
the cells (7) of the feeding wheel (2) is to the circumferential
spacing of the seed grains (0) held by the means of the sowing
wheel (4) as is the ratio of the circumferential speeds of these
two wheels. In the lower zone of the sowing wheel (4), the seed
grains (0) are pressed into the soil and released (FIG. 1).
Inventors: |
Powilleit; Hansherger (4000
Dusseldorf 12, DE) |
Family
ID: |
25814733 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/658,807 |
Filed: |
October 9, 1984 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Oct 10, 1983 [DE] |
|
|
3335823 |
Oct 10, 1983 [DE] |
|
|
3336782 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
111/89; 111/179;
111/184; 111/189; 111/77 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01C
7/04 (20130101); A01C 7/20 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01C
7/00 (20060101); A01C 7/04 (20060101); A01C
007/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;221/220,237,210,213,217,218,235 ;111/77,34,89-91,2,3 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1054861 |
|
May 1979 |
|
CA |
|
230326 |
|
Aug 1909 |
|
DE2 |
|
1195080 |
|
Jun 1961 |
|
DE |
|
1457832 |
|
Jul 1969 |
|
DE |
|
1582081 |
|
Aug 1971 |
|
DE |
|
75683 |
|
Jun 1961 |
|
FR |
|
1291511 |
|
Mar 1962 |
|
FR |
|
659265 |
|
Jun 1964 |
|
IT |
|
2012534 |
|
Aug 1979 |
|
GB |
|
2103463 |
|
Feb 1983 |
|
GB |
|
865166 |
|
Sep 1981 |
|
SU |
|
948316 |
|
Aug 1982 |
|
SU |
|
Primary Examiner: Hafer; Robert A.
Assistant Examiner: DeMille; Danton
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow,
Garrett & Dunner
Claims
I claim:
1. A single grain sowing machine comprising a housing, a seed
container, a feeding wheel in the form of a disc rotatable within
the housing about a substantially horizontal axis, said feeding
wheel having a plurality of radially outwardly open cells spaced
around its periphery that are also open on both sides of the cells,
said feeding wheel and being of a thickness in the region of the
cells no larger than the smaller diameter of the seed grains, said
seed container delivering a plurality of seeds to a filling zone on
one side of said feeding wheel, while the other side of the wheel
is bounded by a wall of the housing whereby the cells receive
individual seed grains at the filling zone, and rotation of the
feeding wheel transports the seeds in the cells one at a time away
from the filling zone to a transfer zone where the feeding wheel
projects out of the housing, a sowing wheel also rotatable about a
substantially horizontal axis transverse to the driving direction
of the sowing machine that cooperates with the feeding wheel in the
transfer zone to receive individual seed grains from the cells of
the feeding wheel in an upper zone of the path of rotation of the
sowing wheel and which discharges them into the soil in a lower
zone, said sowing wheel being provided around its circumference
with resilient clamping elements which define between each other a
circumferentially extending gap that receives the peripherial
portion of the feeding wheel in the transfer zone, said resilient
elements exerting pressure toward each other to grip a seed in a
cell of the feeding wheel as the wheels rotate and the feeding
wheel passes through the gap to thereby remove the seeds one at a
time from the cells, said clamping elements also being resilient in
the radial direction so that as the sowing wheel rotates to the
lower zone, the elements are pressed against the soil whereby the
elements deform to release the seeds which are then pressed into
the soil by the pressure of the sowing wheel.
2. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 wherein the clamping
elements are integral with one another to form one component.
3. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
clamping elements are elastic rings that extend continuously around
the periphery of the sowing wheel and are deformable under
pressure.
4. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
clamping elements are elastic ring segments spaced around the
periphery of the sowing wheel that are deformable under
pressure.
5. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 wherein the
clamping elements are in the form of a pair of slack tires.
6. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
sowing wheel is in the form of a star wheel and comprises a
plurality of separate circumferential sections provided with the
clamping elements.
7. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 including a
suction air connection that opens into the gap between the clamping
elements.
8. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 including a
stripper that engages in the gap.
9. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 including a
cleaning brush that engages the circumference of the sowing wheel
to clean the gap between the clamping elements.
10. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 including a
pressure member fixed to the sowing wheel and projecting into the
gap between the clamping elements to support the seed grains as
they are held by the elements and to press these grains into the
soil as they are released by the elements being deformed in the
radial direction.
11. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 including a
pressure member fixed with respect to the sowing wheel and
projecting into the gap between the clamping elements, said member
being integral with the clamping elements to form one component
that supports the seed grains in the sowing wheel during transport
and that presses the grains into the soil after they are
released.
12. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
seed container has a base inclined toward the filling zone which is
located in a lower zone of the path of rotation of the feeding
wheel.
13. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
angle between the base of the seed container and the adjacent side
of the feeding wheel increases upwardly starting from the filling
zone in the direction of rotation of the feeding wheel.
14. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
rear surfaces of the cells in the direction of rotation of the
feeding wheel form an acute angle with the wall of the housing at
the side of the feeding wheel remote from the container.
15. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
front surfaces of the cells in the direction of rotation of the
feeding wheel are bevelled in the direction of rotation.
16. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 or 2 in which the
front wall of each cell as viewed in the direction of rotation of
the feeding wheel has an upwardly inclined surface on the side of
the feeding wheel facing the seed container that assists in
channeling seeds into the cells in the filling zone.
17. The single grain sowing machine of claim 1 in which the seed
container has a base inclined towards the filling zone which is
located in the lower zone of the path of rotation of the feeding
wheel, the clamping elements are in the form of a pair of slack
tires and including a pressure member fixed to the sowing wheel
that projects into the gap between the clamping elements to support
the seed grains during transport and to press these grains into the
soil as the elements are deformed in the radial direction.
18. The single grain sowing machine of claim 17, including a
suction air connection that opens into the gap between the clamping
elements.
19. The single grain sowing machine of claim 17, including a
stripper that engages in the gap.
20. The single grain sowing machine of claim 17, in which the angle
between the base of the seed container and the adjacent side of the
feeding wheel increases upwardly starting from the filling zone in
the direction of rotation of the feeding wheel.
21. The single grain sowing machine of claim 17, in which the rear
surfaces of the cells in the direction of the rotation of the
feeding wheel form an acute angle with the wall of the housing at
the side of the feeding wheel remote from the container.
22. The single grain sowing machine of claim 17, in which the front
surfaces in the direction of rotation of the feeding wheel are
bevelled in the direction of rotation.
23. The single grain sowing machine of claim 17, in which the front
wall of each cell in the direction of rotation of the feeding wheel
has an upwardly inclined surface on the side of the feeding wheel
facing the seed container that assists in channeling the seeds in
the cells in the filling zone.
Description
The invention relates to a single grain sowing machine comprising a
seed container, a feeding wheel with radially outwardly open cells
for receiving individual seed grains that is for the most part
enclosed by a housing, rotatable about a substantially horizontal
axis and has part of its circumference bounding the lower part of
the seed container, and a transporting apparatus which is likewise
rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis transverse to the
driving direction of the sowing machine and which receives in its
upper zone the seed grains previously contained in the feeding
wheel and discharges them in its lower zone.
To achieve shooting of the seeds on the land approaching the
germinating capability in a laboratory, optimum germinating and
growth conditions have to obtain on the land even upon sowing.
Shooting of the seeds on the land is decisively influenced by the
soil temperature and moistness. The soil temperature must exceed
the germinating temperature so that germination is initiated. At
the same time, there must be enough moistness in the soil to permit
germination to start and enable a healthy plant to develop. For
this reason, it was already in early times that one thought of
reconsolidating the prepared soil during sowing in order to improve
the capillary feeding of the water.
Thus, an apparatus is known (U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,661), having in
the lower zone of a seed container a conveyor belt which passes
over two rollers and the lower run of which runs closely over a
circumferential section of a rotating wall. The conveyor belt
conveys seed grains out of the seed container into the space
between the lower run of the conveyor belt and the wall. In this
wall there are receptacles into which tappets engage from radially
inwardly and are so controlled by a stationary cam track that, in
the lower position of the wall, they are pushed radially outwardly
through the receptacles and press the seed grains into the
soil.
The known apparatus calls for a considerable constructional
expenditure. In addition, the conveyor belt is merely a
transporting device which does not separate the seed grains.
Also known, there is an apparatus for depositing seed grains (DE-OS
No. 1 457 832), which comprises a feeding wheel rotatable about a
horizontal axis. The cells of this wheel are only open radially
outwardly. A circumferential section of the wheel extends into a
seed container to fill the cells with one seed grain each. The
cells are then covered radially outwardly by a housing until they
reach a discharge station. At this station, which is disposed in
the lower zone of the feeding wheel, the seed grains disposed in
the cells fall out under gravity and centrifugal force and reach a
gap between two discs which are of flexible material and the axes
of which are so offset from each other that these two discs
directly lie on each other at one half of their circumference
whereas they define a gap of uneven width in the other half. One of
the two discs is driven.
The seed grains that have entered the gap are now clamped at the
outer rim of the two discs and taken along to a discharge station
in the lower zone of these two discs where the grains are released
from the discs with the aid of a wedge. The grains are then thrown
into the furrow in the soil.
The main disadvantage in this known apparatus is that the seed
grains are freely flung at the two discs and then discharged by
these into the furrow. Both flinging paths are haphazard and
therefore permit inaccuracies to occur in the individual depositing
of the grains. In addition, when depositing the seed grains in this
known apparatus, they are not pressed into the soil and therefore
the desired capillary water supply to the seed grains is not
ensured.
Now, it is the problem of the present invention to avoid the
disadvantages of the hitherto known apparatuses that are relevant
and to provide a single grain sowing machine which is characterised
by reliable and exact depositing of the individual grains and
simultaneous embedding of the seed grains in the soil.
This problem is solved in a single grain sowing machine of the
aforementioned kind in that the transporting apparatus is in the
form a sowing wheel and has means which engage the separate seed
grains located in the cells, keep the spacing of the grains in an
adjustable relationship to the spacing of the cells, take the
grains with them, press them into the soil and release them. The
feeding wheel may also be a feeding belt.
In a single grain sowing machine of this construction, reliable
filling and separation are performed by the feeding wheel. This
separation is in no way falsified during transfer to the sowing
wheel, during transport in the sowing wheel and when depositing
directly on the ground, so that spacing and positioning of the seed
grain can be precisely maintained. It is possible to very the
relationship between the rotary speeds of the feeding wheel on the
one hand and the sowing wheel on the other hand in order thereby to
change the spacing of the seed grains. Even during such a variation
there is no reduction in the accuracy with which the seeds are
deposited. Pressing of the seed grains into the soil ensures
accurate placing but also ensures that the resulting consolidation
of the soil in the region of the grain will bring about the
required capillary effect necessary for initiating germination and
the subsequent development of a healthy plant.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the feeding wheel is in the form of a disc
of which the thickness in the cell-containing outer region is
substantially equal to or less than the smallest diameter of the
seed grains, that the cells are also open in both axial directions
and covered by a rear wall at the side remote from the seed
container, that the lower zone of the feeding wheel projects from
the housing and co-operates with the sowing wheel in this region,
that the circumference of the sowing wheel has clamping elements
which define between each other a circumferentially extending gap
for receiving the circumferential section of the feeding wheel
projecting from the housing and exert an elastic pressure on each
other to retain the seed grains, and that the clamping elements are
constructed and/or arranged to be resilient in the radial
direction.
The clamping elements engage the seed grains which are offered by
the feeding wheel in predetermined time intervals and/or at
predetermined spacings and are therefore transferred to the sowing
wheel and pressed into the soil as this wheel rolls on the ground.
The sowing wheel may be rotated through contact with the ground or
by a central drive.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the clamping elements are unified to form
one structural component. This particularly simplifies the
manufacture and assembly of the clamping elements.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the clamping elements are elastic rings or
annular segments deformable under pressure. These are particularly
simple components that are cheap to make.
Further, the single grain sowing machine according to the invention
can be constructed so that the clamping elements are two slack
tyres. In this way, one prevents the soil from being built up as it
rolls along.
Further, the single grain sowing machine according to the invention
can be constructed so that the sowing wheel is in the form of a
star wheel and comprises a plurality of separate circumferential
sections provided with clamping elements. In this way, the soil is
provided for each grain with a separate zone in which the desired
local environment is produced by surface deformation.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that a suction air connection opens into the gap
between the clamping elements. In this way, the retaining forces
can if necessary be increased beyond the clamping forces.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that a stripper engages in the gap. This stripper
particularly serves to clean the gap between the clamping elements
from residues of soil.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that a cleaning brush engages the circumference
of the sowing wheel. For certain soil conditions, self-cleaning of
the clamping elements may not be sufficient. This could result in
the defective transfer of seed grains from the feeding wheel. The
cleaning brush as suggested will avoid such defects.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that provision is made in the gap between the
clamping elements of a pressure member which is fixed to the sowing
wheel to support the seed grains and pressing these into the soil.
While the seed grains are being pressed into the soil, the grains
have to be supported against the sowing wheel. This can take place
at the base of the gap or through a special pressure member
disposed between the clamping elements.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the clamping elements are combined with the
pressure member to form one component. With this construction,
there are advantages in manufacture and assembly.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the seed container has a base inclined
towards the lower region of the feeding wheel. The desired optimum
depositing of single grains primarily depends on reliable
separation at the feeding wheel. For this purpose, sufficient
quantities of the grains must first of all be supplied to the cells
of the wheel. This is achieved by the aforementioned construction
of the base of the seed container.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the angle between the base of the seed
container on the one hand and the feeding wheel on the other hand
increases upwardly starting from the end of the filling zone up to
commencement of lateral covering in the direction of rotation of
the feeding wheel. In this way one ensures that separation can take
place at the individual cells and the excess grains will radially
come off the feeding wheel after the separating zone.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the rear surfaces of the cells as viewed in
the direction of rotation of the feeding wheel form an acute angle
with the rear wall. This ensures that the individual seed grains in
the cells are retained therein and reliably brought to the position
where they are transferred to the sowing wheel.
The single grain sowing machine according to the invention can also
be constructed so that the front surfaces and/or rear surfaces of
the cells as viewed in the direction of rotation of the feeding
wheel are bevelled in the direction of rotation. This serves to
achieve reliable transfer of the grains even with differences in
the circumferential speeds of the feeding wheels and sowing
wheel.
Finally, the single grain sowing machine according to the invention
can be constructed so that an oblique surface becoming flatter
towards the cells is provided in front of each cell on that surface
of the feeding wheel which faces the the seed container. This
improves the introduction of the grains into the cells and thus
reliable filling of all the cells.
A few embodiments of the invention will be described in the
following description with reference to the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of one embodiment of single
grain sowing machine according to the invention,
FIG. 2 is an elevation of a sowing wheel in co-operation with the
lower section of a feeding wheel of the single grain sowing
machine,
FIG. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 in FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a partial section of the sowing wheel with clamping
elements pressed on the soil,
FIG. 5 is a partial section of the sowing wheel with annular
clamping elements and pressure member combined to one
component,
FIG. 6 is a section through the head of one arm of a star-shaped
sowing wheel,
FIG. 7 is a section on the line 7--7 in FIG. 6,
FIG. 8 is a partial section lying in a vertical plane through the
lower end of the seed container and the feeding wheel of the single
grain sowing machine according to the invention,
FIG. 9 is an elevation in the axial direction of the feeding wheel
co-operating with a sowing wheel,
FIG. 10 is partial section through the feeding wheel in the region
of a cell as well as through the rear wall in the circumferential
direction,
FIG. 11 shows the change in the inclination of the base of the seed
container in relation to the feeding wheel,
FIG. 12 is an elevation of a belt-type feeding wheel, and
FIG. 13 is a section on the line 13--13 in FIG. 12.
The single grain sowing machine diagrammatically illustrated in
FIG. 1 has a seed container 1, a feeding wheel 2, a rear wall 3
(FIG. 8) covering the side remote from the seed container 1, and a
sowing wheel 4 which co-operates with the feeding wheel 2 and is
mounted to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis.
The seed container 1 is bounded in its lower zone by a base 5 which
extends at a downward inclination towards the feeding wheel 2.
Terminating at a spacing above the base 5 there is a guide plate 6
which bounds the height of the seed reservoir at the feeding wheel
2. The inclination of the base 5 causes the seed grains 0 to become
displaced towards the feeding wheel 2. The seed grains 0 are
thereby pressed against the feeding wheel 2.
The feeding wheel 2 is in the form of a disc of which the cells 7
are notches which are open radially outwardly as well as in both
axial directions. The feeding wheel 2, which is rotatable about a
substantially horizontal shaft (not shown), is covered by the rear
wall 3 at the side remote from the seed container 1. In a radially
outward direction, the cells 7 are closed by the housing 8. On the
side of the feeding wheel 2 facing the housing 8, the cells 7 are
covered by a cover 9 only at a position where the cells 7 have been
turned further through about 80 degrees relatively to the lowermost
position. This cover 9 starts with a separating edge 10 which rises
gradually from radially outwardly to radially inwardly.
The inclination of the base 5 represented by an acute angle between
this base 5 and the feeding wheel 2 in the lower zone of the seed
container changes in the direction of rotation in that the angle
between the base 5 and the feeding wheel 2 increases after rushing
through the filling path. This ensures that the inclination
facilitating entry of the grains 0 into the cells 7 in the lower
zone is more or less eliminated in the direction of rotation to
achieve a free space for rejecting excess seed grain 0 and thereby
simplify the separation.
FIG. 11 shows the change in the angle of inclination between the
base 5 of the seed container and the feeding wheel 2. In the zone
11, the inclination remains constant at 30 degrees. In this zone 11
there is still a a desire to fill the cells 7. In the subsequent
zone 12, the angle of inclination decreases and the rejection of
excessive seed grains 0 is thereby simplified.
The cells 7 have a base surface 13, a rear surface 14 (as viewed in
the direction of rotation) and a front surface 15. The rear surface
14 forms together with the rear wall 3 an angle of less than 90
degrees (FIG. 10) in order to retain in the cells 7 a seed grain 0
once it has reached that cell. In front of each cell 7 as viewed in
the direction of rotation there is an oblique surface 16 which is
inclined towards the cell 7 and thereby simplifies entry of the
seed grains 0 into the cells 7 (FIG. 10). The front surface 15 is
inclined in the direction of rotation (9), so that the length of
the cells 7 as measured in the circumferential direction increases
radially outwardly. The thickness of the feeding wheel 2 is less
than or substantially equal to the smallest diameter of the grains
0 to be sown. This means that the grains 0 disposed in a cell 7
will be engaged when elastic clamping elements engage both sides of
the feeding wheel 2 in the region of a cell 7.
The feeding wheel 2 leaves the housing 8 at 20. The covers of the
cells 7 that surround the outer rim of the feeding wheel 2 radially
outwardly and laterally accompany the feeding wheel 2 for a short
distance beyond the housing 8.
Instead of a feeding wheel 2 one can also employ a feeding belt 21
(FIGS. 12, 13) which likewise has cells 22 in the aforementioned
manner and a cover 23.
The feeding wheel 2, which leaves the housing 8 to a certain extent
at 20, engages at the zone outside the housing 8 in a gap 30
between two elastic clamping elements 31 secured to the
circumference of the sowing wheel 4. The clamping elements 31 are
in the form of slack tyres which exert an elastically resilient
pressure onto each other and thus onto the two sides of the feeding
wheel 2. By reason of their elasticity, they can also be pressed
slightly into the cells 7 of the feeding wheel 2. Seed grains 0
disposed in the cells 7 will thus be clamped between the clamping
elements 31 and engaged thereby so that they will be necessarily
transferred out of the path of movement of the cells 7 into that of
the sowing wheel 4 without any possibility of an undesirable change
in position. The clamping elements in the form of slack tyres can
extend continuously over the entire circumference of the sowing
wheel 4 as is shown for the upper half in FIG. 2. According to
another embodiment, however, one can also provide clamping elements
32 seated merely on the radially outward ends of the individual
arms 33 of sowing wheel 4 in the form of a star wheel (FIG. 2,
lower portion).
A cleaning brush 17 serving to clean the sowing wheel 4 and its
clamping elements engages the circumference of the sowing
wheel.
Between the clamping elements 31 or 32 there is a radially
outwardly projecting pressure member 34.
In the zone where the sowing wheel 4 comes into contact with the
ground and radial forces are exerted on the clamping elements 31,
32, these elements are compressed. This leads to the pressure
member 34 here projecting outwardly between the clamping elements
31, 32 and pressing into the soil the seed grain 0 which is now
released by the clamping elements 31, 32.
According to FIG. 5, two clamping elements 31 in the form of slack
tyres are made in one piece with a pressure member 34 lying
therebetween in the region of the gap 30 and inserted in a
complementary receptacle or groove 35 at the circumference of the
sowing wheel 4.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the head 36 of one arm 37 of a star-shaped
sowing wheel 4. Placed on this head 36 there is a cap 38 having two
clamping elements 39. These clamping elements 39 are beads of
resilient material defining between each other a gap 40 for
clamping and retaining seed grains 0. A pressure member 41 engages
in the space below the gap 40. If, now, the clamping elements 39
receive a radially directed pressure while rolling along the
ground, they are correspondingly deformed. The base 42 of the gap
40 is supported on the pressure member 41 and thereby presses the
seed grain 0 radially outwardly past the clamping elements 39 into
the earth.
The cap 38 is in the form of a hollow member and can be connected
to a vacuum line (not shown). A bore 43 is provided in the base 42
of the gap 40. The vacuum within the cap 38 acts through the bore
43 and increases the retaining forces acting on the seed grains 0
by way of the created clamping forces.
* * * * *